Random pictures from Hawaii trip

Random pictures from Halakalea and The Road to Hana.....

Halakalea Volcano

We decided that we would get up early one morning and go and see the sunrise at the volcano crater. The drive up the mountain was amazing! It was extremely curvy!! The road was pitch black on the way there, so we really couldn't see just how crazy the drive really was! The crater was really pretty however at sunrise. The temperature was about 40 degrees the morning we went. I was wrapped up in beach towels and a blankets, and I was still freezing! These are the pictures from the volcano.

Hawaii- Road to Hana

At the end of June, James and I travelled to Hawaii. It had a dual purpose. The main one was to have a memorial service for James' father, and we also used it to celebrate our one year anniversary. Hawaii turned out to be just as beautiful as everyone raves about. There were so many times that I was just in awe of the beauty that surrounded us! God showed himself as a Creator over and over to us. It was amazing!

One of the first places we went was the road to Hana. (This is also the place where we did the impromptu memorial). It was truly an experience. The road is crazy!!! It is mostly a one lane road with huge cliffs on either side. Of course, the most beautiful part is the back side of the island. This is also where they say you shouldn't go, and where the rental companies forbid you to go. Of course, we had to be rebels on that aspect. I absolutely loved it there. The black sand beaches, the views of the ocean, and the waterfalls made it fabulous! (Pictures above) Essentially this road was an all day trip around the island. It was truly worth all the time it took to drive the whole length of the road. (Ignore the time stamp...)

Hawaii Trip

Well the week I had been waiting for finally arrived!!! We were off to Hawaii for a whole week. I was so excited. It started off with a couple of flights. The longest one was from Dallas to the island of Maui! It ended up being a very long day. The last flight was 8 hours long. It was hard for me to be cooped up that long, but I had done even longer flights on several of my mission trips. I felt really sorry for James being confined to that small area for that long. At 6'6'' it's hard to fit your legs into those little areas they called seats on the airplane. Thankfully, we survived and arrived safely in Maui.

On Sunday, we got there and found our condo resort. It ended up being a great place to stay. It was very family oriented and was not crowded at all. It was beach front and had 2 different pool areas. These two areas ended up being great places to just relax and read. I spent several hours there throughout the week!

Our 1 year anniversary

This past Sunday was our 1 year anniversary. We have learned many lessons over the past year of our marriage. We had a pretty low key anniversary,but it was a lot of fun for us to spend time together. We are spending a week in Hawaii this summer as part of our anniversary/ vacation. James also drastically updated my wedding band set. It is gorgeous, and I was totally shocked with it. I absolutely love it. I in turn bought James a new pistol that he had been wanting. He has developed a new passion for gun ownership over the past year. (I just thought I wasn't marrying a man like my dad...ha ha) Here is a picture of our cake from Sunday. (It was not the design that I had ordered, but it was still yummy. I wanted it to look like our wedding cake. :( oh well..) Thank you to all of you that have prayed for us over the past year. We look forward to the many more things that God has in store for us for the rest of our lives.

Monday Verse

Ps.34:19 "Many adversaries come to the one who is righteous, but the LORD delivers him from them all."

We are not promised a conflict free life here on earth. The bible clearly states that our battle is not flesh and blood but those evil forces around us. This verse is a great reminder that we who are striving to be righteous will have many adversaries (those who oppose us) around us. However, the end of the verse is also true- "But the Lord delivers them from them all." No, sometimes the deliverance may not be in the form that we desire or even the way we desire it, but God does provide deliverance to us. So, if you are being attacked by outside forces, remember God will deliver! His ways and timing is not always the same as ours, but keep trusting that he has a plan in place! Don't allow your adversaries to destroy your joy, your faith, or even your life. Cling to Christ and watch his plan unfold!

Third Day Concert

We were blessed to be able to go and see Third Day in concert in Tulsa back in April. It was a very fun night! These are a few out-takes from the evening. It was fantastic!

More Third Day Concert

More Vacation Pictures

Here are some more. Some of these are from the beach and Universal Studios.

Florida Trip

Over Spring break we had a memorial service in Mississippi for James' dad. We had the service at the church where his dad was saved. The people there were wonderful! We completely understood why Jim enjoyed spending time with them. It was a great and God-glorifying day!

After the memorial service, we headed to Florida for a few days of fun and relaxation. We stayed at a great resort! I got to meet some of James' friends that lived close to there. We had a fabulous time. I can't wait until we all get back together again! It was fun. Here are a few pics from the trip.

Monday Verse

Every Monday for the past many many years I have been writing and sending out a short devotional for my friends. Somehow, it has been spread to many others who I have never met before. I thought I would start posting a few on my blog just for fun. Again, these aren't anything special or profound. They are just short little verses with a little encouragement to follow. I hope this encourages you along in your day. :)

"So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded, YOU NEED TO PERSEVERE so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised."
Hebrews 10:35-36

On Sunday, God showed me this verse of scripture. It is exactly what I needed to hear for the circumstances that are occuring in my life right now. So many times, we get discouraged on the journey and feel like we need to just give up. Those are the times that we have to keep in the battle! Don't allow Satan to let you become distracted or distraught over what is occuring. This is only a test to build your faith. As you continue to persevere, God will keep strengthening you to accomplish the task before you. Satan may come against you to torment you, but stay the course. Keep your eyes on the goal and press forward. You will be victorious with God as your guide and your Lord!!! Keep persevering to win what God has promised you! His promises never fail...and neither does his strength for you! Have faith to take the next steps on your journey!!

Life

Well, the last few weeks have been life lessons for James and I. On January 2, 2009 James' dad passed away unexpectantly. He had just been at our house visiting for a few weeks. This had been a great time for James and he to really concentrate on that Father- Son relationship, etc. James' dad (Jim) had become a Christian a few months earlier and had totally made a life change. He desired more than anything to be faithful to His Lord and to follow the things that he was learning from other strong Christian men. The weekend before he died we had all gone to church together. James was able to see his father truly worship God in a way that James never thought he'd see. It was incredible. We had prayer as a family and just asked God to lead us all into whatever ministry opportunities that HE had planned for us over the coming year. It was really a blessing. Now, Jim is gone, but oh the blessing and assurance to know that he is truly with our Father! All those questions that he had for James and I are now answered. He doesn't have to just read about God, he's with him now eternally. We miss his calls and his humor, but we are at peace knowing he is with our Father! What a blessing!!